1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to a stamped and formed pin having a solid plastic material positioned within the formed pin, such that upon wave soldering the pins to a printed circuit board, the internal plastic plug liquifies to seal the seam forming the pin.
2. Descriotion of the Prior Art
Presently many pin headers which are wave soldered to print circuit boards include solid screw machined pins positioned within insulating housings. While these pins are in general an excellent electrical connection, the solid pin can, in the instance of the application of wave soldering the electrical connectors to printed circuit boards, detract from the quality of the electrical connection. First, as the electrical connectors are wave soldered to the board, the solid pins, typically a copper or brass alloy in composition, act as heat sinks for quickly removing the heat from a wave soldered connection, thereby cooling the solder joint too quickly, thereby forming an ineffective electrical connection, sometimes referred to as a "cold solder". Secondly, the heating of the solid pin can actually have an end result of loosening the terminal in the corresponding through hole of the tab header. In as much as the solid pins expand upon heating, as caused by the wave soldering, and subsequently contract after cooling, the expansion of the screw machined pins cause a compression of the electrical tab housing plastic around the pin causing an enlargement of the through hole, such that upon contraction of the pin upon cooling, the pin is actually loosened within its associated through hole.
Stamped and formed pins, while generally known for other types of electrical connections such as insulation displacement contacts and or crimp style contacts, this type of contact has not been readily used for electrical connections made with printed circuit boards particularly for use with wave soldering. In general, paints and/or fluxes are generally sprayed on the lower surface of the printed circuit board to prevent solder adhering to portions of the board upon wave soldering. Thus, the stamped and formed pins, having a central open area in the pin has heretofore provided a capillary formation, such that upon wave soldering, the paint, flux and/or solder tends to wick up through the formed capillary and possibly cause an ineffective electrical connection.